Gold prospecting
"Gold prospecting" is available in paper format on the international market. It is a work that contains considerable topics and contents related to the prospecting of gold resources, with particular attention to those of alluvial nature.
The photographic guide: "Gold prospecting" by Matteo Oberto (first edition) [380 pages] is available printed at:
Italy & Europe:
Gold Prospecting (Yourcanprint.it)
The photographic guide: "Secondary gold deposits exploration" by Matteo Oberto (first edition) is available in ebook version at:
Europe & world:
Introduction
The aim of the guide is to provide readers with a practical and easy-to-read overview of the various topics covered, which were considered from the beginning as the main nodes of amateur prospecting activity (summarized in the index to bottom of this article). Note that compared to the book "Il manuale dell'oro" (for the moment just in italian), it offers to the public a more graphic imprint with the presence in the body of the text of a series of graphs, drawings by the author and graphic simplifications. The prospection for gold at an amateur level can sometimes have technical difficulties or due to lack of content on the part of the prospector. It was the primary goal, from the first page, to try to provide such useful content to readers in the simplest and most graphical form possible. In order to do this in the most performing manner we thank the suppliers of the physical and graphic contents (present in the thanks in this presentation article and in the work itself).
A detailed overview of complex alluvial pay streak: an example of the guide content.
The guide develops for a total length of about 180 pages, forming an overall work of rapid reading, easy to understand and useful in the field thanks to the format. It contains within it photographic and scientific contents explained in Italian. It can be a basis for anyone trying to undertake the hobby of searching for alluvial gold, forming at the same time a cultural baggage useful to continue with deepening.
Another example of description and focus on eluvial gold, present in the guide advertised.
We would like to thank all the people who have collaborated on the project, both committed to providing high quality content (textual and photographic) and helping the author to correct the guide and its publication.
In particular, we thank the main suppliers of photographic contents, fundamental for the genuineness of the contents that have been explained and deepened.
Rizzi G., for its considerable amount of information and photographic content and the availability of his works; The same photographs on the cover are by the primary author Oberto M. and by Rizzi G.
The other authors of the photographs: Baron P., Cirillo S., Castellacci A., Amelio A., Migliore C. and Calabrese L. We thank the authors of the youtube channels: vogus prospecting and Pioneer Pauly
We thank Ricca C. for the production of the guide cover and Rel T. & Quigley E. for the correction of the translation in the English version. The photos used on the cover are part of the repertoire of the author and of Rizzi G.
The range of enrichment: a focus on the possible space relations among primary deposits and secondary ones.
General index
1 - Primary and secondary gold deposits
Secondary deposits: looking for secondary gold deposits 1
Primary gold deposits (DAP) 2 - 8
Exhumation and erosion 9
The link between DAP and DAS 11
Secondary gold deposits (DAS) 12
Exogenous agents 13-15
The chains of exogenous agents 16-17
The exogenous agents and the change in the outcropping subsoil 18
A rapid classification of DAS 19
The DAS and the abbreviations 20
Overall view of the placement of the DAS 21-22
Eluvial DAS (DASe) 23-24
Colluvial DAS (DASc) 26-27
Minor stream DAS and major ones (DASf) 28-29
The range of gold enrichment 25
Glacial and related DAS 30
Morphology of a valley glacier in short 31
Glacial till deposit 32
Example of morain deposit 33-37
A real example: the gold deposits of the Bessa (Italy) 36
Landslide DAS and related DAS 37
The morphology of a landslide 38
Setting a surface hydrographic pattern 39
Classification of landslides 40
Eolic and residual DAS 41-42
Coastal DAS (DASco) 43
Wave development 44
Concentration by wave motion 45
DAScos and position with respect to the current sea level 46
Storms and the influence on the DASco 47
Transgression and marine ingression 48
The origin of gold in the DASco 49
Paleoplacers 49
Witwatersrand 50
Concluding remarks on the classifications 51
2- Gold and heavy minerals
Gold, density, color and chemical composition 52-53
Storing gold - containers 54
Gold and mercury - a close link 55-56
Dimension and morphology of heavy minerals & density 57
Gold concentrate and magnetite 58
Magnetite and anthropic waste 59-60
Proper separation of magnetite into a dry and granular concentrate 61
The problem of the measurement scale 62
Photographing your gold 63
Coin or squares? - Reference measurement scale 64
Gold and quartz 65
Gold - alloy elements - crystals included 66-67
Eluvial gold 68
The morphology of gold 69
Gold in threads - Twin gold 70
Gold size 71-73
Gold and precious stones 74
Gems and precious stones 75
Content of the batea - outline 76
Gold collection tools: aspirators 77
3- Where to find gold and how to extract it - River dynamics
General distribution of gold along a simple pay streak 79
Enlargement of the river section 84
Simple pay streak 78
Complex pay streak 80-83
Inactive or hidden pay streak 85
Central pay streak 86-88
Density, erosion, transport, deposition 89
Notions of fluid dynamics and deposition of gold in alluvial contexts 90
Mode of transport of solid particles in watercourses 91-95
The role of shaking on the embricated clast structure in the enrichment of gold 96
Deepening on the core of a simple pay streak 97-98
The role of floods in the enrichment of the pay streaks 99
Examples of genesis of secondary alluvial 100
Second example of secondary gold enrichment by fluvial origin 101
Distribution of heavy minerals and not along a simple pay streak 102-103
Research and identification of auriferous pay streaks (outline)
Spotted prospecting 104-105
What are the main components that I should look for? 106
Is it possible to pick gold out from other sediments by hand? 107
The concentration of big boulders 108
The prospect should be concentrated closer to bigger boulders 109
River traps: imbrication and natural traps 110-111
Superficial enrichment (surface flood enrichment)- an example 112
Simplified model of gold enrichment close boulders 113
Gold enrichment positions 114
Model for gold enrichment 115
Where can I find gold? 116
Front and posterior enrichment 117
Imbrications as local obstacles 118
Big obstacles 119-120
Pay attention to the superficial wash of light sediments 121
The presence and influence of bedrock 122
Detail of an alluvial altered deposit 123
Rivarolo (close Turin), a real example of clay bedrock 124
Simplified model of chronological events 125
Evidence of clay bedrock outcrop 126
Evidences 127-131
A few conclusions from real cases 132
4- Exploitation of gold sediments and restoration of the site
The circular excavation 133-135
Production - elements of exploitation - circular excavation 136
The hole theory 137
Some phases of the removal and washing of alluvial sediments 138
Ideal working position 139
Rectangular excavation 140-141
Example of a rectangular exploitation 142-143
Gold prospecting equipment 144
The equipment 145
Hand picking in a wet environment (gold fishing) 146
Panning 147
Crushing 148
River sluicing 149
The extraction phase 150
The sieving phase 151-152
Dry sieve - Inclined mesh 153-154
Inclined nets – dry sieving 155
The carriolbike and the dry sieving stage 156
Carriolbike - Inclined sieve - dry sieving 157
How to collect auriferous material and restore the site 158-159
The choice of the most suitable tools 160
Tools in comparison 161
What do you have to bring to the river? 162
The volume and weight of the tools for research and exploitation 163
Accessibility to prospecting sites of equipment volume 164
Shovels 165
Tools for the recovery of gold sediments the be sieved 166
Manual pumps - Bottom suction units 167
Manual vacuum cleaners 168
Craft sieves 169
Amateur sieves and bucket sizes 170
Basket sieve 171
The sieve mesh and the gold 172
Tool maintenance is important! 173
Movement of classified sediment 174-175
Excavation system - elements in the management of the excavation 176
Means to move along the waterways: the Kayak 177-178
Connections to the sluice - the roads or path 179
5- Use of the pan (panning)
The panning 180 - 182
The batea – the dish - the plate 183
Choose the batea correctly 184
The conical plate 185-187
The trunk-conical pan 188
The turbopan 189
The competition plate 190-191
The concentrator plate 192
Eccentric concentrator plate 193-194
The Japanese and Russian batea 195-196
The oleggese trula 197
Washing of gold sediments with the trunked-conic batea 198-202
Gravitational physical concentration 203-204
Finishing washing 205
Washing of the concentrate 206
Gold extraction - Washing of concentrate 207
Standard type finishing wash 208
Rotary type finishing wash 209-211
The trailing of waste - comet of concentrate 212
Central type finishing wash 213
The sluice cleaning 214
Indoor washing - cleaning at home with a sluice system using water recirculation 215
Example of slots with residual magnetite presence 216-217
6- Use of the sluice
Sluice washing 218
Structural and basic elements on the functioning of a sluice 219
The altimetric agreement of the loading plan and the trap-ground 220
The external inclination of the sluice 221
Auxiliary structural elements and basic functioning of a sluice 222
Dimensional parameters 223-225
Sluices - choices 226
The sluice – the bottom 227
Laminar motion and turbulent motion 228
Overview of the functioning of an Hungarian riffle 229
Riffles height - Comparison with boulders 230-234
Riffles - main types 235
Loading plan and traps 236
Bottom traps simplified 237-239
Steps - Riffles and expanded metal 240
Modular rubber mats - The Gold Hog line 241-242
3D design - Floor mats designed in the virtual ways 243-244
Miner moss - the moss of the gold prospector - Carpets of capture 245-247
What happens when the traps focus too much on the gold sediment? 248
The concept of saturation: the example of the tram 249-251
Riffles 252
Heavy minerals in traps 253
Sluice - initial trap – the spy 254
The first trap 255
Overview of the polycarbonate sluice 256
Elements of a polycarbonate sluice 257-259
Mats and fixing to the sluice 260
Square cell rubber mats 261-262
Polycarbonate as a structural material of the sluice 263
Polycarbonate sluices 264
Positioning of the sluice – notes and principles 265-266
Outdoor sluice - how to convey water 267
The importance of the funnel 268
The natural funnel - Preparation of the sluice 269
Funnel dams - by funnel 270
Funnel barriers - channel water into the instrument 271
The position of the low velocity zone 272
The ideal water level for the correct operation of the traps 273
A look at the speed variation 274
The use of the bridge during the feeding phase 275-277
The Dragonfly 278-282
Functional diagram of the external sluice 283-288
Amatorial Rocker 289
Sluices with vertical extension 290
External sluice - Manual water introduction - Upstream tank 291
Sluices in pairs 292
Saturation reduction - feeding technique 293
Positioning and operation of riffles and traps 294
The different traps or quarries, the recovery and concentration variable 295
Positioning of the sluice along the mountain stream 296
Loading phase 297
Example of introduction of the gold sediment 298
What happens on the loading plan 299
Saturation and times of concentration 300
Reduce saturation - Use of a comb 301
The dispersion cloud 302-303
The cleaning of sluice 304
7- Attachment: From the batea to the phial
8- Attachment: Recognize the gold we find
9- Bibliography and sitography